Georgia Tech's LaMiles Brooks named to Bednarik Award watch list

Brooks is one of the best players on the Georgia Tech team entering 2023

Jackson Caudell | Aug 14, 2023

Georgia Tech's LaMiles Brooks named to Bednarik Award watch list /

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Georgia Tech's LaMiles Brooks, one of the top safeties in the country, has been named to the Bednarik Award watch list. The Bednarik Award is awarded at the end of the season to the top defensive player in the country. He is one of 85 candidates in the preseason to win the award.

I think that Brooks has a chance to be Georgia Tech's 1st first-round draft pick since 2010. PFF (Pro Football Focus) is also high on Brooks entering the 2023 season and had him as one of the five highest-graded returning safeties in the country this season.

Highest graded returning Safeties🔥 pic.twitter.com/Nf1vv7pZ4Q
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 14, 2023

Brooks finished as the highest-graded player on Georgia Tech last according to PFF (Pro Football Focus) and his coverage grade of 86.8 was good for 21st in the country and fourth in the ACC. He finished as the 23rd highest-graded safety in the country according to PFF last season.

Brooks finished the season with 52 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions. His best performance came in a loss to Virginia when he finished with nine tackles and a pick-six. Brooks was the best player on the field that night and I expect more performances like that from Brooks in the future.

He possesses the size to be a first-round pick as well at 6'2 192 LBS and is a physical tackler.

Brooks is an instinctive safety in coverage and his versatility is going to be on display this season. During the spring, defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker talked about how Brooks had to play nickel last season and he could do more of that in 2023:

"So K.J. Wallace would probably be listed as the starting nickle positon right now, but LaMiles Brooks in multiple games kicked down to that position so you are talking about having four guys with experience for three spots so we are able to cross-train those guys and use them in that way.

A tangible example would be being at North Carolina this past season, K.J. Wallace goes down and we slide LaMiles Brooks down to that position at nickel. That is the group that has the most maturity right now."

There is a long way to go until the 2024 NFL Draft, but I think Brooks has a chance to be the first Georgia Tech player taken in the first round in over a decade. Being named to this watch list is a great accomplishment and Brooks is going to be a player to watch this entire season.

He was also named to the Wuerffel Trophy Award Watchlist.

Brooks is one of 11 student-athletes that has been placed on the watchlist that was released earlier today. The Wuerffel Trophy honors college football players who serve others and celebrates their impact and inspires greater service across the nation (Per Georgia Tech PR).

Brooks is one of Georgia Tech’s most active student-athletes in the community across all sports. His long list of volunteer activities includes:

Jackets Without Borders – international service trip to Villa del Rio, Puerto Rico, in May 2022 to help rebuild houses that were destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017;
For Others – an organization that helps prevent vulnerable children from being placed in the foster care system;
Michael Isenhour Toy Drive – annual service project spearheaded by Georgia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) to collect and deliver toys to the Atlanta Children’s Shelter during the holiday season;
Children’s Health Care of Atlanta – was one of several Yellow Jackets that recently visited Children’s Scottish Rite to spend time with patients.

Brooks is also an active member of Tech’s SAAB and this summer has represented Georgia Tech at the 2023 Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles and the Atlantic Coast Conference Unity Tour in Washington, D.C (Per Georgia Tech PR).

Semifinalists for the 2023 Bednarik Award will be announced on Nov. 13, followed by the selection of three finalists on Nov. 28. The winner of the 29th-annual Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7, and the formal presentation of the award will be made in March in Philadelphia.

Georgia Tech kicks off its 2023 season against Louisville on Sept. 1st at 7:30 on ESPN.

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